Patricia Gumport, a professor of education and the director of the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research, was named vice provost for graduate education, Aug. 24, by Provost John Etchemendy. She will assume the post Jan. 1.

The position was created following recommendations in a report by the Commission on Graduate Education in December 2005. The report envisioned the person in Gumport’s role acting as a leader across the graduate schools to inspire interaction among them, as well as promoting diversity among students and the improvement of student life.

“In Patti Gumport, we have found a wonderful combination of qualities that further ensure the success of these recommendations,” Etchemendy said in a news release. “The focus and quality of her research, her experiences as a graduate student at Stanford, her leadership of the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research and the high regard she has earned from her colleagues make her an ideal choice for this new position.”

Gumport is willing and ready to take on the new position and bring further improvements to educational programs she termed as already strong.

“I believe Stanford has the institutional capacity to do better in graduate education,” Gumport said in a news release. “I want to build on the extensive work of the commission and the vision articulated in the report. This is essentially a collaborative agenda. Many thoughtful individuals and groups contributed, and I look forward to working with them directly when I come on board in January.”